May 1971 – A week in the life of a Veteran Gooner

Three weeks ago we heard of the sudden passing of one of our stalwart bloggers. Dandan had been a regular contributor and minder on the site for four years. His sage words were often a pick-me-up when Arsenal news was a bit gloomy. This is the first post he wrote for ArsenalArsenal back in March 2010 which tells us much of the man he was. It was an honour to have known him and we send his family our very best wishes at this sad time.

Monday 3rd May 1971. Just one day in a 66 year long life. Five children, 10 grandchildren and a couple of wives ago. A working life, a happy life, a fulfilled life, yet in all that life, that day, that Monday 39 years ago stands out clearly, a milestone, a marker to excitement, expectation, pride and above all friendship, togetherness and achievement.

It began early, after working the morning and fidgeting away an hour of the afternoon it was time. I climbed into my car, picked up my mate, one of four of us that travelled to all Arsenal games together. The other two plus my brother were travelling in the Ford Escort that was our real communal football vehicle. Our plan was simple we would meet up inside the ground.

We travelled the back doubles avoiding main roads, but it was soon abundantly clear that something was up; mid afternoon and even the side roads were busy. Eventually at about 4 o’ clock we found a road full of parked cars, with a police no parking cone at the end, quickly we parked the car with it’s front against the cone, jumped out, moved the cone to the back of the car and walked off.

White Hart Lane was where all my family’s loyalties lay, only I was the rebel, a gooner among all those spuds. We were on enemy territory, god and what a sight a queue of people 5 or 6 deep all round the ground and into the distance. We knew immediately, absolutely no chance to get in there by normal means. What to do? We headed for the front of the queue, passing thousands of people, hundreds of coppers. A plan was needed this was serious. Finally the main iron gates into the ground were reached, luckily they were still closed, 50 yards beyond them the turnstiles stood mockingly empty, inviting, waiting for the hordes in the endless queue. A line of police stood turning away anyone trying to join the queue.

Right by the main gate stands the White Hart Pub from which the ground gets its name. It was open, we went in and got a couple of half’s (part of the plan – couldn’t waste money) and then stood outside casually leaning against the pub wall right by the gates, sipping our beers. At 5.30 the gates are unlocked and pulled open inwards. Immediately the people at the front of the queue, who have waited there overnight, rush forward scattering the line of police. We drop our glasses literally, join the rush, and sprint to the turnstiles, pay our money and we are through and in. We must have been two of the first 50 in the ground, as the man says don’t you love it when a plan comes together.

Not only are we in the ground, but also in the enclosure, people were pouring in. We felt desperate for our mates, knowing they had no chance of getting in as they had intended leaving work a bit later.

Then amazingly there they were, pushing through the crowd to join us, I had reckoned they’d be without my brother, a spud, although he knew this ground like the back of his hand. In those days there was a press gate in one of the side roads, he was a regular there, a few quid in the attendants hand and he and they were through. 52,000 thousand locked out and we had all made it. They had just abandoned the car in a traffic jam, if it got towed, tough. It wasn’t they found it after the match and drove home.

The game was a blur with chances at either end, gradually we got on top, a 0 – 0 draw would be enough to win the league. Then with 3 minutes to go, Geordie Armstrong centered, Ray Kennedy leaped and headed home. Pandemonium, the stadium muted with tension till then, erupted. White Hart became Red and White Hart, every Spud seemed to disappear under a sea of scarves, hats and frantic, cheering, hugging, jumping Gooners. The Spurs team went berserk kicking all and sundry the intention seeming to be that we would not field a full team in Saturdays cup final to take their ‘double’ record away. The referee saw what was happening and sensibly blew the whistle early. Where and how all the spuds disappeared to has puzzled me over the years, but the stadium from the moment the goal went in belonged to The Arsenal.

We left deliriously happy, found the car. No ticket, moved the cone and moved off listening to the radio singing and laughing. The normal 1hr journey home took 2 hrs but we never really noticed, what a day, what a night and the cup final still to come just 5 days away.

I had intended to end this post right there, with the championship won and the first leg of the 1971 double secured. But the act of writing it down after all these years, set me to thinking just how immense the events surrounding The Arsenal of the double year and that week in particular were in my life. Enlightening me above all to the importance of friendship and loyalty in a changing world.

First some background, as I said earlier I came from a family of Spuds, my earliest football memories are of being taken to WHL by my father (I saw Stanley Mathews play there, for Stoke I think) and the cup finals on TV. In those far off days the Cup Final was the only game live on TV, although before that you could see short highlights of it on Pathe News at Saturday morning cinema.

We then moved from London to Hertfordshire about a mile from what is now Beckingham Palace the home of David and Posh. So a trip into London for a carless family was an expensive undertaking and not taken often. For this reason as we got older the annual BBC Cup Final broadcast became a big event in our house. My 2 mates from school both Gooners would come along together with a gaggle of friends and family of the Spud variety.

Mum would move back and forth recharging cups and glasses and topping up the buffet she had provided, whilst we huddled around the TV. Then came the 1961 final when Dads dreams came true and Spurs did the double and the family partied long into the night. Us three Gooners of course the butt of every joke going. We were 17 at the time, apprentices or trainees, just able to afford to go to the home games at Highbury by train. Later I got a car and all games became available. But always the Cup Final at my parents home for my mates and I was mandatory.

Fast forward to 1971 double year, my parents have moved to Southampton, as Dads progression through the company required him to relocate. Then a week before Christmas the world changed, whilst travelling the dual carriageway that predated the M3 my dad’s car was hit by a lorry that came through the trees that lined the central reservation, he and his passenger died instantly.

I was devastated, my Dad and great mate gone. But my three Arsenal mates took over and made sure that I was accompanied to every Arsenal game that season and as they moved inexorably towards the double the sadness and realisation of the leg pulling and verbal I was missing with Dad grew.

Came that final week in May, Spurs on the Monday a euphoric, poignant day safely negotiated. Now because we had saved our programme vouchers, we also had our cup final tickets. But as the five days past I realised that I could not go to Wembley leaving my Mum alone down in Southampton, I needed to go and watch it with her. I gave my ticket to my mates and told them to give them to a Arsenal fan outside the ground.

They said nothing until Friday, our snooker night, when we met up they dropped the bombshell, they too had given their tickets away, and the faithful Escort all ballooned and ribboned up was parked outside and bound for Southampton in the morning.

Needless to say it was a marvelous day tinged with sadness of course, Liverpool were overcome. Willow missed one on the near post, Charlie lay on his back and waited his adulation, GG claimed a goal he never touched, whilst Eddy the real scorer couldn’t give a monkeys at the time, Frank at the final whistle, told the world we had xxxxxxx done it. Whilst we in the smart bungalow in Southampton watched it all on the big new colour Television that Dad had brought for my mum just 6 months previously.

It helped a lovely lady start to come to terms with her loss, but it taught me the meaning of true friends, enriching my life beyond belief and now all these years later as retirees, we still meet and greet and talk about our Arsenal days.

So I owe the Arsenal a great deal. Remarkably just that one word conjures up memories, of triumphs and disasters, but most of all it reminds me, that a common interest cemented four young men into lifetime friends.

Finally, may I say, as a newcomer, that as I read your posts, I sense that same feeling of comradeship, and respect for each other. Great game football, great club the Arsenal.

Hello, I was also at the lane on that day and the cup final the following Saturday, how I managed to get in I have no idea, I don’t think I have ever seen so many people at football match before or since, I was 16 at the time and got trampled on by a police horse, I was carried into the ground by the crowd, my feet did not touch the floor, after Ray Kennedy scored and the whistle went the whole of the pitch was just a sea of red and white and I was right in there with them. A truly great day and the next day was my birthday and my dear Mum gave me a cup final ticket! What a week.

I read that Post, which was dandan’s debut on AA, and was emotionally moved by the raw emotions, passion, humour and love that dandan allowed us to read on a subject that was not just a fan’s memories of a great occasion, but a deeply personal account of a family man, too.

How appropriate for us to be given the chance, today, to remember a special man and a fantastic Gooner, by reading, in his own words, his heartfelt and lifelong love of the Arsenal, second only to his love of his family.

I am already missing your knowledge, wit and wisdom, dandan, and it has been a privilege to have been a small part of your life through this blog. Thank you.

“Retired Businessman who lives in rural England but loves to travel, A life long Arsenal fan with a grown up family and a gaggle of super grand kids, lives with his wife and his dog, reads, blogs, enjoys current affairs, politics, watching sport and wouldn’t swap his life with anyone.”

Beautiful article! Thank you! OnIthe day of the Spurs match, I was left at the school gates by my dad who’d parked his car at 10am!….George Graham’s right toe actually scores that famous cup final goal….you can just make it out on slow motion behind the goal, trust me, , it’s true!

Bought back memories of that day not only was I at the game but it was my 21st Birthday. I remember drinking all afternoon with a couple of pals and my recently deceased father in a pub in Park Road, Hornsey. Three of us went to the game and I have never seen crowds like it. We all got split up but made it into the ground and hardly saw any of the game. I spent most of the time jumping up and down to catch a glimpse and balancing on the only bit of terracing left. When Ray Kennedy scored complete strangers were hugging and jumping around together. I worked on and off in the Sir Walter Scott in Stroud Green and one night Frank McKlintock and Bob McNab turned up to unveil a wall that the owner Burt Cooke had covered in the double winning team photograph

I remember squeezing past that car…..@Big Raddy.. I remember the Worlds End but never drank in there. I also worked for Len Hopkins in the Osborne Tavern in Stroud Green mainly cos I was seeing his daughter Wendy. Bert Cooke in the Scott had had an alsatian called Gunner. Where have the years gone? A bottle of JC cost 1/11d and a baby JC 1/3d. I served an Irishman in the public on my first night. Bert said be very careful pouring the Guiness as they can be fussy. My first pint was immaculate and the fella said “can you get a scotch in it” “Sure I says” “well fill it up then”

The thing about dandan he never postered with “effect”. He always told it how he saw saw it.

He tempered his argument with dignity and repect, never wanting to offend another bloger.

i was, and always will be in his camp. Follow the club despite our problems and appreciate what we have

dandans legacy to this site is “fairness” but for me personly and yes, selfishly, it was to take stock of words that rung a chord on how i felt.

Dignity, respect, humanity, and love for our club for me was his overriding legacy.

My greatest tribute to the man will to keep on posting. Despite results or failing, following our club is how you feel not the pots you gather.

I beleive that our time has come again,and that next season we will win the league. dandan will have laughed at my “mad consistency” but he will always have accepetd the crazy nature of modern football and seen every thing is possible.

Morning all,
Reading all these tributes,Has brought it home to me that how people perceive you is very important.

I read Dan Dan’s post yesterday morning and if i speak the truth it moved me. I felt i had to leave a comment even though i never knew him.

After reading i felt it best to leave this post and let people comment that knew more about the man than i did, so i went fishing. You know what, I sat alone on the bank but couldn’t get the thought out of my mind.

As i sat there and thought of some of the words people said about him, made me realise that Patience and tolerance is very important when conversing with people.

Now i am not known for my patience, and if i am conversing with a numpty i can lose it pretty quick, but i will in future try and be a bit more like this man, After all numpty or not you must care about Arsenal just to blog.

I feel that if a passing of an old Gooner who had a nice disposition is to make any sense at all, its that he made me think that anybody can be a bit nicer..

Some really nice comments yesterday and for me it was a day not to blog but to reflect about my friendship with Cliff and to hark back to that day at WHL.

I can recall that day in detail but ask me about something last week and I would be vague.

I and many others who popped in yesterday are at an age that when we were kids or young teenagers grew up in the so called barren years and were constantly reminded that Spurs were the dominant team in North London even though it was ten years before that they achieved the double.

Lose or draw today and yet again we can celebrate the mismanagement and specialists in failure, that is Spurs.

Huntng around, the media are almost certain that AW will/has signed a two year extention to his contract.

The Ox will be used spaingly as he is still carrying a groin injry.

It looks like Sagna and they club can’t agree a new contract so I guess it is70/30 that he leaves. If it is either of the Manchester clubs as strongly suggested,I won’t be a happy bunny.

Anyway having given my Crystals a good clean I can see us scoring 4 on Monday night.;)

Kelsey. You and I are two of the few left who view victory over Spurs as an essential of our season. We grew up, as you say, when local rivalry was played out in the playground and in my North London school you were either Spurs or a Gooner. One had to be a bit of a rebel to support The Arsenal as Spurs were so dominant.

With the coming of Sky and the worldwide TV audience the local rivalry has little meaning anymore – why would it to someone who lives 5000 miles from North London who sees our rivals as MC,Chavs, MU, etc.?

But for me the 3 victories over Spurs make it a successful season. If we go on to win a cup, even better.

I’ve read here how some say that they were never lucky enough to actually meet the man. Well, along with Peaches, I believe we are the only bloggers to have met him in person, and what I can say is that you did, in fact, all know the real man.

I live in Devon, and Dandan was staying in a Hotel about thirty minutes away so that he could be near the hospital where his brother was staying. Via the blog, and then an email, I set off to meet him for supper in his Hotel.

In my usual way, I had forgotten to do the practical thing and discuss identity tips. No problem, I walked into the bar area, and there was no mistake. Perched on a stool, a large man greeted me warmly the moment I entered. Exactly as he came across to us all on here, the man had an immensely powerful aura of calm and warmth. No chance of mistaking his identity.

Some people command attention without demanding it. Dandan was one. His voice was soothing, and precise, and he had that air of authority, wisdom and gentle calm of everybody’s favourite Grandfather. Someone who put you immediately at ease and gave the feeling of having been a lifelong friend.

He was one of those genuinely altruistic types, heaving with empathy, understanding, calmness and reason. All of these he combined with a wonderful sense of humour and humanity, as well as an intensely engaging conversational manner. These are very rare qualities to have all rolled into one.

We were very lucky to have known him, and we did all know him, because in real life, he was precisely as you would imagine.

Although have to say even though he hasn’t been responsible for all the money spent, but in the last three seasons they have spent £150m+ (and that doesn’t include the arrival of Suarez and Carroll). And in the two years of Rodgers reign they have a net spend of £60m, Kenny’s last season was net spend of £35m.

We have spent a simiar amount getting players in, but as far as net spends go we are £70m shy of Liverpool’s over the last three years.

Financially Spurs would suffer more, and even less likely to find a manager good enough to improve them (figure United will be able to attract anyone no matter what competitions they are in). So would prefer Spuds to miss out on Europa.

But torn because I would like Norwich to sneak a point today to cling to some hope of staying in the PL.

I think the Norwich game will be tough whether they’re doomed or not, perhaps even worse if their fate is already sealed, as they’ll play with no fear or nerves, and simply want a last home game party.

Think you are right Didit. Last season at Newcastle was tense – why can’t we do things the easy way.

Though if Everton slip up we are in the box seat (not that I like being in a box-seat – oh dear, I feel a ramble coming on and a delve into the undergrowth of the web to find the origins of this expression)

How many of our current squad are expected to play, not just make up the numbers for their respective countries, and when the WC ends how long is it until the qualifying round for the CL,which is normally two weeks before the season ends.

I ask as it would be nice to get our business done in the Summer sooner than later.

This is Mrs. DanDan. I have to say how humbled I was by the beautiful red and white roses you sent for my husband’s funeral. It is still very raw for me, but I know he would want me to thank you all for your kind tributes for him. He was a very special man and my love for him will never die.

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